Historic St. Cloud State Women’s Soccer Season Finishes in First Round of the NCAA Tournament

Friday, November 17

Emporia, Kan.

10:00 A.M. CT

St. Cloud State

14-5-2, 10-2-2

Bemidji State

13-3-6, 7-3-4

Bemidji St.

St. Cloud St.

Historic St. Cloud State Women’s Soccer Season Finishes in First Round of the NCAA Tournament

11/17/2023 4:27:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

Huskies fall to Bemidji State 1-0 in the NCAA Central Region Quarterfinals

EMPORIA, Kan. – The most historic season in the 30-year history of St. Cloud State Women's Soccer (14-5-2, 10-2-2 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) came to a close in Emporia on Friday morning after the Huskies dropped a 1-0 result to the NSIC Tournament Champions, Bemidji State (13-3-6, 7-3-4 NSIC). The Beavers, the No. 6 seed in the Central Regional, found the back of the net just six minutes into the match and advance to the Second Round of the NCAA DII Women's Soccer Tournament.

Bemidji State was able to gain control scoreboard early in the game after Sylve Waters took a pass from Emma Huelsnitz and scored what ended up being the game's only goal, after just six minutes of play. The Huskies came out and dominated the second half, creating a handful of chances to tie the game. In the final 45 minutes, SCSU took seven shots, putting six of them on frame, but was unable to convert any of its chances.

TOP HUSKIES

Junior defender Rheana Zerna (St. Michael, Minn.) and freshman defender Grace Olson (West Des Moines, Iowa) led the Huskies with two shots each.
Freshman goalkeeper Jaylee Strickland (Columbus, Ohio) made three saves in the game.
Olson, Strickland, Zerna, sophomore defender Ella Clow (Minneapolis), sophomore midfielder Brooke Quam (Lakeville, Minn.) and freshman defender Ana Spaine (West Des Moines, Iowa).

NOTES

With the loss, St. Cloud State is now 6-13-2 all-time against Bemidji State.
Friday's match was the first NCAA Tournament game in program history.

QUOTES
Head Coach Gretta Macdonald

"A sincere thank you to all the people who supported our pursuits this season. It takes a village, and we appreciate everyone's efforts! Today's result does not define our season. We've accomplished great things together and set a new standard for the future of our program. We hope everyone can take a moment to appreciate everything we did together this season. We are excited to build on this season and look forward to the possibilities ahead."

HISTORIC SEASON
SCSU had its best season in program history in 2023, capturing its first-ever conference championship by winning the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Regular Season Championship. The Huskies finished the conference season with 32 points and a 10-2-2 record. The Huskies advanced to the NSIC Tournament semifinals for the fourth time in program history and for the first time since 2019, in addition to hosting the NSIC semifinals and championship round for the first time in program history. SCSU also recorded its best 15-game start in program history (12-2-1), best 10-game start (7-2-1) and best five-game start (4-1-0) since 2000.

Below is a list of program records that were set/tied in 2023:

Win percentage – 2023: .714 (14-5-2) / Old Record: .700 (13-5-2, 1995)
Most victories – 2023: 14 / Old Record: 13 (1995)
Most conference victories (NSIC) – 2023: 10 / Old Record: 10 (2019)
Longest Unbeaten streak – 2023: 9 / Record: 9 (set twice, most recently 2011)
Most Home Wins – 2023: 9 / Old Record: 7 (2009)
Most Games Played – 2023: 21 / Old Record: 21 (2011)

For all the latest on St. Cloud State Women's Soccer, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.